So we all know that 2020 has not gone entirely to plan! And for those of you that wanted to get married – it’s been frustrating and confusing. Cancellations have caused heartache. Second guessing when it might be safe to go ahead with the wedding you want adds a layer of uncertainty.
So what do you do when you get to the day that would have been your wedding day? Or what if you’ve managed to get a basic registration for your legal marriage but don’t want to compromise your wedding day by not being able to invite all the people you planned?
How about an elopement? A romantic, meaningful ceremony, just the two of you?
Because, at the end of the day, it’s all about you. Your love story. The promises you make to each other.
Historically, a handfasting lasted a year and a day. It’s a lovely way to commit to each other – whether you have made the legal commitment or not – and can fill the gap between your original wedding day and your big celebration.
You can still make vows. Maybe you want to make vows to keep forever – or maybe you want to make vows that are just up until your big ceremony. You can exchange rings – or not. You can jump the broom into your new life together. signifying crossing a threshold. Or not. Basically you can tailor make a ceremony that means exactly what you want it to, without having to keep anyone else in mind. All you need is a location, a celebrant and a photographer!
Remember, a celebrant can do a ceremony anywhere. This was shot in The Heavens, Stroud on the midsummer solstice. It had been raining for a few days before and the little stream was running fresh and clear. So our shoes came off, and we stood in the running water to do our handfasting.
You might not have ever considered an elopement-style ceremony before. But there’s something so special about focussing entirely on each other that you might want to consider if you want to mark your commitment in this intimate way.
If you want to have a chat with me about how we could make something like this work for you, get in touch! I can do a one off ceremony, or could add it on to a wedding if you wanted to book me for both.
This was a styled shoot, with real life couple, Meg and Joe. I made the handfasting cord from a simple ribbon embellished with charms from a couple of deconstructed broken necklaces from a charity shop. The central charm was a silver shell, as the first gift they gave each other were shells from a date on the beach. I wanted to keep it simple, fitting the feel of the shoot.
Photograhy by Camilla Reynolds, hair accessories by Gemma Sangwine, bouquet by Persephone Violet.
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